On October 19th 2016 Uzbekistan’s foreign minister Abdulaziz Komilov  surprised the international community by declaring the full support of Uzbekistan for Palestine and Al-Quds Ash-Shareef (Jerusalem) during a press conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Tashkent. Moreover, Komilov began his speech, for the first time in the country’s history, in line with the Islamic tradition with the words “In the name of Allah” (Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem). Under Karimov’s rule, it would be unthinkable to make such a statement, as Uzbekistan always tried to stay ideologically neutral to avoid getting involved in international disputes. Even during the Ukraine crisis, which directly concerns Uzbekistan, the late president decided not to express his support for either side.